Late one summer day two years ago, I hiked the Northville-Placid Trail just south of Piseco and poked my head into the Hamilton Lake Stream lean-to. The lean-to is a perfectly nice place to spend the night, but it isn't necessarily one of those "wow" places to camp. Shared from here.
In the lean-to were three guys. We talked, we laughed and an hour later, I had to remind myself I wasn't spending the night at the lean-to and had to be moving on.
I thought later about why they were having so much fun. The three of them had known each other for a long time but lived in different places. They set aside time every summer to get together for a backpack.
I'd like you to be one of the happy people in the lean-to this year. I'd like you to go to sleep to the sound of a barred owl and wake up to a chorus of birdsong.
I admit, January is an odd time to be writing about backpacking. But it's a new year, a chance to change things and maybe to grow.
So stop reading for a second and think about some friends who've moved. Or maybe a brother or sister or cousins you saw often as a kid but not as much as you'd like now. Maybe they live across the country or maybe they live kind of close, but not close enough that you make the trip.
Do you have those people? Can you see their faces? Good.
The reason I'm writing about backpacking in January and not June is by the time backpacking season comes around, you probably have filled your calendar with all those things we fill our calendars with. Do it now when the summer is open.
In several studies, researchers have found maintaining connections to people outside the home is key to living longer. That means that while those guys at Hamilton Lake Stream lean-to looked like they were making fun of each other's bodily functions, telling jokes and complaining about sore knees, they were really finding the key to happiness and long life.
So, where to go?
First, pick up a copy of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and a copy of Cheryl Strayed's "Wild." Then, put both books back down again, because, as good as they are, they won't help you. Backpacking is having its day in the sun in popular culture, but it's also having the same problem cycling did a few years ago — the longest and most extreme things are the ones that capture our attention. The Tour de France is as far from most cyclists' experiences as the Pacific Crest Trail is for most backpackers.
You don't need a trail name or to saw your toothbrush handle off (for weight) to get out there. Most of us weekend warriors just want a fun, somewhat comfortable trip through a pretty place. I'd suggest either Erik Schlimmer's "Thru Hiker's Guide to America" or "Backpacking New York" by Jeff Mitchell. Mitchell's book, in particular, understands that most of us aren't interested in backpacking 25 miles a day. He offers some humane, moderate trips, scattered throughout the state, that will make sure your friends are still talking to you by the time your adventure is over. You may even want to go again.
The other reason I'm talking about backpacking in January is Milo of Croton, a famed Olympic wrestler in ancient Greece. He trained by borrowing a newborn calf and carrying it around. Every day he carried the calf. As the calf grew bigger and heavier, Milo grew stronger.
You can be Milo. Load your pack with a few light things and walk around with it. In a week or two, add something else and then a few weeks later, add some more. By summer, you'll be able to carry a six-month-old cow — or, at least, your share of the tent and some cooking gear.
We think of growth as creating something new, but there is value in the established. There is growth in remembering things we've forgotten, in brushing the dust off memories to find there is still something bright and shining underneath. The flowers and trees blooming each spring aren't really new — they're the product of seeds planted in the past.
I hope for 2017, you'll find time to nurture those seeds. They usually just need some soil, some sunshine, and some water. You'll find all those things and more on a backpacking trip. If you're lucky, you can be as happy as those guys in the lean-to.
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